Review: Hook Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Thank you Avon Books for my copy of Hook Line and Sinker! All thoughts are my own.
I was ready to fall in love with Fox before I even started this book and fall in love I did. It’s a storyline I simply love: two strangers meet and don’t get along, then become fast friends, and quickly learn their friendship is so much more. Frienemies to Friends to Lovers if you will. It was just the warm and sunshine I needed during these dreary winter days. It’s quieter and calmer than It Happened One Summer but it still captures the same magic that story did. Plus Fox is hella dreamy.
Synopsis:
“King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he's a guaranteed good time--in bed and out--and that's exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She's immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his... personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.
Now, Hannah's in town for work, crashing in Fox's spare bedroom. She knows he's a notorious ladies' man, but they're definitely just friends. In fact, she's nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport's resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker's eye... yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can't deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.
Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she's walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and... and... man overboard! He's fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he's all in, she'll choose him instead?” —Goodreads
What I Liked:
Fox and Hannah—I LOVE THEM. That’s all. I’m such a sucker for the reformed rake.
The Setting—Just like It Happened One Summer, I fell in love with Westport, Washington. I did feel like this story was a little more isolated, but that was necessary for the couple.
Use of Music—I usually don’t like when music is mentioned in books or at the top of chapters (that doesn’t happen in this one) but I really loved Hannah’s passion for music. It lept off the page and added so much to Hannah and Fox’s journey.
What Didn’t Work:
To Little Plot—I really felt like this was just about the relationship. Which hey, it’s a Romance! I just would have liked a little more exploration into Hannah’s job woes and Fox’s life on the boat. Just a dash!
The 3rd Act Break Up—This isn’t a spoiler since it’s a very common Romance trope but I just really didn’t like the use of it in this one. It felt so forced and put us through more heartache for no reason!
Content Warnings:
death of a parent, mention of infidelity, mental illness, emotional abuse